a scheme or method of acting, doing, proceeding, making, etc., developed in advance.
battle plans.
a design or scheme of arrangement.
an elaborate plan for seating guests.
a specific project or definite purpose.
plans for the future.
Also called plan view. a drawing made to scale to represent the top view or a horizontal section of a structure or a machine, as a floor layout of a building.
a representation of a thing drawn on a plane, as a map or diagram.
a plan of the dock area.
(in perspective drawing) one of several planes in front of a represented object, and perpendicular to the line between the object and the eye.
a formal program for specified benefits, needs, etc..
a pension plan.
a detailed scheme, method, etc, for attaining an objective
(sometimes plural) a proposed, usually tentative idea for doing something
a drawing to scale of a horizontal section through a building taken at a given level; a view from above an object or an area in orthographic projection Compare ground plan elevation
an outline, sketch, etc
(in perspective drawing) any of several imaginary planes perpendicular to the line of vision and between the eye and object depicted
to form a plan (for) or make plans (for)
(tr) to make a plan of (a building)
(tr; takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to have in mind as a purpose; intend
What is a basic definition of plan? A plan is a program or method prepared ahead of time, a project or definite purpose, or a design or drawing of something. Plan has several other senses as a noun and a verb. When you come up with a plan, you are creating a method or scheme to do something, make something, or take another kind of action, like a plan for getting your homework done. If someone does something without thinking about what to do, how to do it, and when to do it, they don’t have a plan. A plan doesn’t have to be written down, though. It may only exist in your mind. A person who comes up with a plan is a planner.
Plan, project, design, scheme imply a formulated method of doing something. Plan refers to any method of thinking out acts and purposes beforehand: What are your plans for today? A project is a proposed or tentative plan, often elaborate or extensive: an irrigation project. Design suggests art, dexterity, or craft (sometimes evil and selfish) in the elaboration or execution of a plan, and often tends to emphasize the purpose in view: a misunderstanding brought about by design. A scheme is apt to be either a speculative, possibly impracticable, plan, or a selfish or dishonest one: a scheme to swindle someone.
First recorded in 1670–80; from French: “ground, plan, groundwork, scheme,” noun use of the adjective: “flat” ( see plane 1), a learned borrowing of Latin plānus “level” ( cf. plain 1)
Do you have an idea of what you want and have thought carefully and in detail about how to get it? Then you have a plan, a series of actions required to achieve a particular goal. A plan can exist only in your head, or it can be a physical object, such as an architectural plan of a building, showing how you propose to build it. As a verb, plan means the act of thinking about how to achieve your aims. You might plan to apply to colleges soon. When you plan something, you're laying the seeds for a future result, so it's not surprising that plan comes from the early English word plante, meaning "seedling."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The administration official said around 25% of Medicare Part D plan enrollees would see premiums for their plans stay flat or go down next year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
But they do have a plan just in case.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Transportation officials on Tuesday disclosed a plan that would allow the Federal Aviation Administration to waive requirements under environmental laws and regulations as it permits commercial rocket sites, launches and spacecraft reentries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Blue Origin, Stoke Space and United Launch Alliance all plan more launches from that region, as does SpaceX.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The six of us listen in silence as she explains the audacious plan.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
“Correct. With their defenses in shambles, the Keepers stalled for time, putting off answering Icarion’s demands. The Icarions were not fooled. “They moved the Protocol into the space between the two plan- ets.
From The Verge ● Jun. 11, 2019
The team says they need time to perform an investigation into the commissioner’s grounds for attempting to end the Dodgers’ plan- filing exclusivity.
From BusinessWeek ● Sep. 28, 2011
Kepler’s third or harmonic law, a precise connection between the size of a plan- et’s orbit and the period for it to go once around the Sun.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
"Grub" in other words, supper, was served, a prodigious number of "plan- cakes" being consumed.
From Cowboy Dave by Webster, Frank V.
Here is why this matters to your retirement plans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
At the start of the year Josh and Kelly were planning campervan adventures and trying for a baby but, with their life plans now on hold, the couple are determined to make memories every day.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Medicare Part D is private prescription-drug coverage offered to people enrolled in traditional Medicare and is also included in most Medicare Advantage plans.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Roughly 25 million people have Part D plans, and they will learn about their 2027 rates in the fall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Before I could argue, Uncle started talking about our plans for the day.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday morning, Trump was asked about reports that Netanyahu planned to present him with intelligence about new activity at Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected underground nuclear site in Iran.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
NASA's Psyche spacecraft completed a highly successful flyby of Mars, giving the mission a carefully planned gravitational boost while also producing valuable scientific data.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
A planned solar panel installation proposed to be installed on what is believed to be a greenfield site has drawn criticism.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Inspectors issue stop-work order at planned 32-story apartment tower in Manhattan, carrying out safety sweeps after former Pfizer headquarters building buckled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
I, personally, had not planned to enjoy Valentine’s Day this year, what with my friend circle being significantly reduced.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Deep Fission is planning to build an experimental, commercial underground nuclear reactor a mile deep in Parsons, Kansas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
At the start of the year Josh and Kelly were planning campervan adventures and trying for a baby but, with their life plans now on hold, the couple are determined to make memories every day.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Meta is also reportedly planning to sell compute capacity to third parties, meaning that the company could monetize its data centers beyond its internal workloads.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Sato told the news outlet he was now staying with a relative and, despite his recent misadventure, was planning his next sailing trip, to the Philippines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
What I didn’t know was what exactly she was planning on doing once we got there.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
